Fresh perspectives on music. Zero hype.

Hoping For A Repress 06

Don’t you love overpriced Discogs listings, especially when they come with descriptions of the record that just really hit the nail on the head? Here’s what “luv-club” who’s priced this one at over £60 has to say about it:

Cheap shot, I know. Anyway, this record from 1996 carries 4 different mixes of the same vocal track by Larry Heard. The vocals will cut through pretty much anything you’re playing purely because of their lyrical content. Have a listen for yourselves below, just bear in mind the record comes with a health warning that I feel compelled to repeat. It goes out “To all penetrators and penetratees…always wear a condom when ya’doin’ya’do.”

You might see it as a bit gimmicky what with the vocals, but if you want peoples’ attention, this track will get that for you. The “Wet Dream” mix for me is the best on the record; it’s got a real nice groove on top of a syncopated beat, the other versions sound interesting, but on the “Wet Dream” mix the dark groove works as a bit of a counterpoint to the vocals, making it the one I’d play. £20 for one track though? I’m not on that kind of money. We remain hopeful of a repress, as this record was reissued in 1999. 15 years later and as you’d expect it’s shot up in price.

Strictly Rhythm is one of those labels that I’ve always felt like I should really dig into. I’ve heard some great releases on there, but the sheer scale of the task has always put me off. There’s 1,323 releases to flick through and listen through + another 20 or so on the UK sister label. Added to that, much of the catalogue is pretty average at best.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of real gems in there – house music like it’s not really made anymore, with a fat kick, a proper breakdown in the middle, one of those vocals I can’t really describe – but you know the ones I mean – and those synths that seem to be everywhere in house records from that era.

This Logic record is exactly like that. Good vibes on wax. The A side leads with The Difference, which has one of those vocal messages on it. A2 is a version without the vocals, so depending on your preference, you could play either one.

On the B side you’ll find I Got Somethin’. B1 is the “Extended Mix” which has got a real killer breakdown in it. The “Deep Mix” takes the track in a different direction, away from the classic NY house sound and towards more of a “heads down” vibe, with the unabating kick drum and the nice bongos that join it as the track develops into those drawn out synths.

Thomas Melchior, who’s put his name to so many quality productions, came out with this one back in 2002 and it’s probably my personal pick of the bunch. It’s Melchior at his best – groove, complexity, loads of different textures and of course it’s pure vibes all the way through.

The A side kicks off with Come Closer. There’s a dub version of the same track on the B side, which appeared in Craig Richards’ Fabric CD. It’s a good track (I’ve only heard the dub) but it’s the other two that really do it for me.

Let’s Go Deep on the A side has a laid back feel to it, although it’s not as slow as you might expect. It’s a bass heavy track complemented by the twangy guitar sounds and the highs that come in, drop out and then come back in again. On top of that, there’s chords, vocals and other sounds that it’s difficult to place which make up the detail in this track and keep the driving bassline and ducking beat interesting.

On the B side you get I Believe, which would fit in really well to a set at any hour. It’s quite fast, although I reckon pitched down it would still work. This one works around a full beat, a dominating bassline and drone-like chords, the way they change ever so slightly over the course of the track. If I had this one, it would get a lot of play, which I’m sure is true for a lot of people wanting this. With 526 wants on discogs, keep an eye on the repress, it’ll fly off the shelves.